


Acceggdental Adoptions

by Eggling



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 02:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11072400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggling/pseuds/Eggling
Summary: "“It’s not exactly a dragon, it’s an alien reptilian hexopod with both terrestrial and airborne locomotion – ah. Yes, I suppose it is a dragon. What a marvellous place the universe is.”"





	Acceggdental Adoptions

**Author's Note:**

> for [keatulie](keatulie.tumblr.com).

“What have ye _done_?”

The Doctor bustled into his study. He looked even more dishevelled and strange than normal, wearing oven mitts and carrying a motley assortment of towels and blankets. “Now, Jamie,” he said in a tone that would have been reprimanding had he not seemed so flustered. “I know what you’re going to say, but I couldn’t just leave them where we found them, either. They called themselves wizards, but they were little more than a – a circus!” He looked up at Jamie with a pleading expression that would not have been out of place on a small child begging for a puppy. “They – ah – they won’t be too much trouble, I assure you.”

“I’m sure they won’t be,” Jamie muttered to himself. All four eggs were neatly arranged in the incubator, he supposed – but the creatures held within would surely grow to immense size. The Doctor had shown him an ostrich egg once, and had explained the size of the creature that had hatched from it. These eggs were almost twice that size, and Jamie could hardly imagine how big whatever was inside would be.

“And it _is _my TARDIS,” the Doctor added, grasping at his lapels as if trying to lend himself an air of authority.__

__“Aye, it is.” Jamie sighed. “Alright, I willnae complain about them too much if ye promise to find them a better home before they get too big.”_ _

__“Splendid!” The Doctor clapped his hands together. “I’m sure you’ll get along well with them when they hatch. Now, quick, help me keep them warm.” Shoving the blankets at Jamie’s chest, he lifted one of the eggs from the incubator. “Help me wrap this one up, will you?”_ _

__“I think it might be a wee bit late for that,” Jamie pointed out._ _

__“Wh -” The Doctor gave a squeak of alarm as the eggshell cracked beneath his fingers. “Oh, my word! I wasn’t expecting them to hatch quite so quickly.” Setting the egg down on the floor, he crouched beside it. “Oh, this will be fascinating.” He flinched as a shard of eggshell whizzed past him. “Perhaps safety glasses would have been a good idea.”_ _

__Jamie picked up the fragment, turning it over in its hands, feeling the strange bumps on its outer surface. “Do ye even know what they’re going to hatch into?”_ _

__“Not a clue,” the Doctor replied, smiling broadly._ _

__The eggshell spit down the middle as he spoke, revealing a creature that Jamie could only describe as a dragon. He stared at it almost uncomprehendingly as it uncurled, shaking its leathery wings and sniffing at the Doctor curiously, its tail-tip flicking like a cat’s._ _

__“I thought -” Jamie reached out as if to touch the baby and confirm what he was seeing was real. “Ye told me dragons didnae exist.”_ _

__“Well – well, I did.” The Doctor scratched at the baby’s jaw, making it purr in satisfaction. “It’s not exactly a dragon, it’s an alien reptilian hexopod with both terrestrial and airborne locomotion – ah. Yes, I suppose it _is_ a dragon. What a marvellous place the universe is.” A curl of smoke drifted lazily out of the baby’s mouth, as if to confirm this diagnosis. “Here, help me dry him off,” he added, taking a towel from the pile and starting to rub the baby’s scales dry._ _

__“Doctor...” Jamie cast a wary glance towards the incubator. “Do ye think the eggs are from the same clutch?”_ _

__“Well, yes, I suppose so. They can’t be very common, can they?” the Doctor said absently, lifting the baby into his lap. “I wonder where the circus got them from. You’re a lovely little dragon, aren’t you, Reginald? You wouldn’t want to be caged for the rest of your life.”_ _

__“So ye think they’re likely tae hatch at the same time?” Jamie pressed._ _

__“I don’t see why not – oh.” An expression of dawning realisation crossed the Doctor’s face as he, too, turned towards the incubator. “I see what you mean.” Reginald squeaked crossly as it found itself deposited unceremoniously on the floor. “Quick, Jamie, help me lift the others out.”_ _

__Grasping one of the eggs, Jamie felt the eggshell start to break up beneath his fingers. “I think we might be too late again.”_ _

__The Doctor twisted his hands together anxiously. “I was rather hoping Reginald was immature, I wasn’t ready for them to – Reginald! Get out of there.” He hurried over towards the fireplace, tugging on Reginald’s tail and snatching his hand away as he was met with only a frustrated snap._ _

__“They’ll be fine.” Jamie lifted the newest baby out of the incubator, cradling it in his arms and bouncing it gently as if calming a fussy human baby. They weren’t so bad, he thought to himself. A little scalier and more purple and orange than most children, maybe, but he didn’t think that mattered. “Ye won’t give your dads any trouble, will ye, Angus?”_ _

__“Angus?” The Doctor succeeded in pulling Reginald away from the fire and pushed him towards Jamie. “There. Go and bother Jamie, you’ll be perfectly warm with him.”_ _

__“They’ve got tae have proper names,” Jamie said defensively. “They cannae all have ridiculous names like Reginald.” Behind him, the third egg split open in a shower of eggshell. “Can ye, Morag?”_ _

__The Doctor huffed, picking up the final egg and tapping at the shell. He chuckled as the surface shifted. “Elfred here is quite alright,” he assured Jamie smugly. “I suppose it’s the youngest. Come on, dear,” he added encouragingly. “Come and meet the family, it’s perfectly nice out here.” The egg trembled in his arms, then split neatly down the middle, and the Doctor beamed. “There we are. All four dragons safely hatched. Now what did I tell you, Jamie?”_ _

__Jamie sat down on the Doctor’s armchair heavily, and was almost immediately greeted with a lapful of squirming, curious dragons. Morag tugged at the hem of his kilt, and he pulled it out of her grip, frowning. “Have we just become parents tae _dragons_?”_ _

__“Yes, I suppose we have.” The Doctor tapped his fingers together thoughtfully. “I wonder if they imprint like ducklings?” The tapping grew faster as he looked around at the mess of eggshell and damp patches littering the carpet. “I think we’d better clean up, don’t you?”_ _

__The babies turned to him in unison, regarded his worried expression for a moment, then let out a wail that was not unlike the sound of a human baby crying. “I think they’re hungry,” Jamie said._ _

__“Yes, I – ah – I think you’re right.” The Doctor was all but hopping from foot to foot in agitation, clearly torn between tending to the babies and cleaning up the mess. “Be a dear and watch them for a moment, will you? I shan’t be long.”_ _

__“Aye, alright.” Jamie looked down at the babies a touch dubiously. “Ye won’t give us any trouble, will ye? You’ll be good for your new dads.” Elfred squirmed half out of his lap, purring happily, straining to snap up a piece of eggshell. It tripped, squeaking in alarm, and toppled onto the carpet. Shaking his head, Jamie leant down to pick it up and deposit it back in his lap. “Course ye will.”_ _


End file.
